Today, we join Customs Officials worldwide, led by the World Customs Organisation (WCO), in honouring the inaugural meeting of the Customs Co-operation Council, which took place in Brussels in 1953 by marking International Customs Day (ICD).

International Customs Day occurs annually on January 26. We commend the WCO for adopting the topic "Nurturing the Next Generation: Promoting a Culture of Knowledge Sharing and Professional Pride in Customs" for 2023.

European firms, unified in the European Commission's Trade Contact Group (TCG), fully support and endorse this theme. Customs education and training are the pillars of compliant, effective, and efficient international trade.

European Trade Associations engaging in global commerce recognise the real need for training and education to build strong customs skills. Therefore, empowering our next generation of business leaders and encouraging them to consider a career in corporate customs compliance is crucial. It will play an important part in the design of comprehensive knowledge management strategies and training programmes. That would help promote our industry-leading best practice education and work experiences in customs and global trade matters.

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